On World's Edge, Steve Roach takes a leap of faith at the edge of contemporary electronic music and jumps headfirst into unfamiliar territory. World's Edge explores the enigmatic relationships between sound and silence,... more &raquo space and rhythm, ancient ritual and modern technology.On World's Edge disk one, Roach's previous forays into Australian Aboriginal music have expanded into potent rhythmic essays. On disk two, the introspective soundscapes Roach pioneered on classics like Structures from Silence reach a new level of mastery through a single, 60 minute composition, To the Threshold of Silence.Through it all, World's Edge is a powerful, musical commentary on living at the edge of crisis, evolution and renewal. Says Roach, "I've always enjoyed this metaphor of coming to the edge of an abyss and jumping off, building your wings before you hit the bottom and soaring with the culmination of all those feelings. On another level, I was thinking a lot about the disappearance of ancient cultures as modern life infiltrates. I wanted to convey a primordial voice in the modern technology, go to the edge in a shamanic sense and bring back sounds that carry inspiration and power. On yet another level, I feel the pieces are imbued with the feeling that the world is at a critical edge in many ways. The artist, as an open nerve, has a responsibility to transform all of this into something that will hopefully give off at least a spark of insight and inspiration. World's Edge is a chronicle of my own search for meaning in this often overwhelming time."&laquo less

Synopsis

Album Description

On World's Edge, Steve Roach takes a leap of faith at the edge of contemporary electronic music and jumps headfirst into unfamiliar territory. World's Edge explores the enigmatic relationships between sound and silence, space and rhythm, ancient ritual and modern technology.On World's Edge disk one, Roach's previous forays into Australian Aboriginal music have expanded into potent rhythmic essays. On disk two, the introspective soundscapes Roach pioneered on classics like Structures from Silence reach a new level of mastery through a single, 60 minute composition, To the Threshold of Silence.Through it all, World's Edge is a powerful, musical commentary on living at the edge of crisis, evolution and renewal. Says Roach, "I've always enjoyed this metaphor of coming to the edge of an abyss and jumping off, building your wings before you hit the bottom and soaring with the culmination of all those feelings. On another level, I was thinking a lot about the disappearance of ancient cultures as modern life infiltrates. I wanted to convey a primordial voice in the modern technology, go to the edge in a shamanic sense and bring back sounds that carry inspiration and power. On yet another level, I feel the pieces are imbued with the feeling that the world is at a critical edge in many ways. The artist, as an open nerve, has a responsibility to transform all of this into something that will hopefully give off at least a spark of insight and inspiration. World's Edge is a chronicle of my own search for meaning in this often overwhelming time."

CD Reviews

The Second of Three Ambient Masterpieces

G-Dexter | Lakewood, NY United States | 05/29/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Among Steve Roach's vast and brilliant catalog of ambient, or "space music" recordings, very few are less than superlative and a select few transcend the rest to establish the new high water mark by which all other ambient recordings are measured. 'World's Edge' is just such an album. His first true masterpiece was the double album 'Dreamtime Return'. With 'World's Edge', Steve Roach moved into a new realm that integrated ambient textures with tribal rhythm's to completely transport the listener to, (hopefully without sounding too metaphysical) a new plain of existence. The first disc is especially effective in creating this feeling of escape, while the second disc is one long piece that is more introspective as it delves into the inner soul of the listener. Once again, I must disagree with Mr. Moodindigo2 who seems to have completely missed the point of these albums. This music isn't about sensory deprivation: rather they are a complex and moving exercise in TOTAL IMMERSION. If you take the time to listen critically, you cannot help but be totally carried away by the intricate structures and subtle counterpoints of the music. I would suggest that Moodindigo2 give it another listen and try to stay awake this time. This album is the second masterpiece in the triumvirate, but I must also agree with Moodindigo's "friend" who ranks Steve Roach's Early Man (yet another double CD) as the zenith of his career to date, and the third true masterpiece in his catalog. Buy them all and experience 6 discs of the best ambient music available anywhere."

Roach's first double-volume release since Dreamtime

G-Dexter | 02/11/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Roach's most ambitious release since Dreamtime Return, World's Edge offers a synopsis of his various styles on disc one and offers an hour-long meditative mind journey called "To The Threshold of Silence" on disc two. The pieces on disc one are reminiscent of everything from Western Spaces (like "Undershadow") to Dreamtime Return (like "Steel and Bone") and extends the tribal-ambient direction he started on Dreamtime with "Beat of Desire" and "Thunderground", the latter of which is the best piece on the disc one. Disc Two, "To The Threshold of Silence", was his most ambitous space music composition at that time, beginning with a Tibetan- inspired gong ceremonial section, continuing with three other linked sections that move through various emotional spaces tied together by a common textural theme. A great introduction to Roach's music, particularly if you're interested in his '90s offerrings."

Is this what it's like to be unconscious?

C. B. Newman | Brisbane, QLD Australia | 05/13/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Amazing disc. Minimalism that is expressionistic. Ever shut your eyes and stare at the stars and red clouds that dance beneath your eye lids? World's Edge would be the soundtrack to that display. New Age that is etheral to the 10th degree. It is a soundscape that looks to the heavens (starry night) for its inspiration, but is rooted in something that is cthonic and primordial. Another Steven Roach fan who is a friend of mine prefers the "Early Man" album to this album. Uh uh. No way. What "Early Man" does for a jurassic feel, "World's Edge" would be the audio experience that comes from sensory deprivation. It can reach inside you and squeeze your heart a bit too tightly if you let it. That sounds extreme, but there is something to this disc that can send the listener on an astral journey, if you let it....."